Pedants' Corner (Black Friday sale email)
Nov 26, 2015, 10:06 am
#1
Original Poster
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Pedants' Corner (Black Friday sale email)
Hurry sale ends at midnight on Monday. ... The sale booking period for flights ends 23:59 GMT 30 November 2015.
Citations: Associated Press style guide, U.S. Government Printing Office.
Last edited by richi; Nov 27, 2015 at 6:54 am Reason: fix cite error
Nov 26, 2015, 10:26 am
#2
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Nov 26, 2015, 10:29 am
#3
formerly mattking2000
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Nov 26, 2015, 10:31 am
#4
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Haha, perhaps 
The term midnight is quite ambiguous and is the turning point of days; surely it could be either 12 hours after noon (Monday) or equally 12 hours before (Tuesday).
Confusing technicality that it is, I can't help feeling if they had marketed as stating "midnight on Tuesday" there would be an awful lot of disappointed people about.
The term midnight is quite ambiguous and is the turning point of days; surely it could be either 12 hours after noon (Monday) or equally 12 hours before (Tuesday). Confusing technicality that it is, I can't help feeling if they had marketed as stating "midnight on Tuesday" there would be an awful lot of disappointed people about.
Nov 26, 2015, 10:37 am
#7
formerly mattking2000
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Well it appears I just contributed to the mess, I clearly meant 1 December 
if it were on the same day, we'd call it 24:00 as a continuation of 23:59, but as most people call it 0:00, I would argue it's the beginning of the next day.
if it were on the same day, we'd call it 24:00 as a continuation of 23:59, but as most people call it 0:00, I would argue it's the beginning of the next day.
Nov 26, 2015, 1:23 pm
#8
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In normal Military parlance, 00:00 doesn't actually exist.
It's either 23:59 the day before, or 00:01 on the next day.
One minute here or there could cause chaos, and The War could start on the wrong day
It's either 23:59 the day before, or 00:01 on the next day.
One minute here or there could cause chaos, and The War could start on the wrong day
Nov 26, 2015, 1:29 pm
#9
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OR
I am going to advance tonight please send reinforcements.
Nov 26, 2015, 2:28 pm
#11
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I agree with the OP that the sale ends at midnight on Tuesday. I don't think that is the way many people use and understand the term. I certainly didn't until I thought I might have been driving around without car insurance because the new insurance term started at midnight on 14th Sept. When I rang them in a bit of a panic about 1600 on 14th the insurance co confirmed that midnight is used to denote the beginning of the day and not the end of it. Lucky I hadn't hit anything.
Nov 26, 2015, 7:19 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 494
Quote:
Hurry sale ends at midnight on Monday. ... The sale booking period for flights ends 23:59 GMT 30 November 2015.
Ahem, you meant "midnight on Tuesday," no?
Citations: ISO standard 8601, Associated Press style guide, U.S. Government Printing Office.
Hurry sale ends at midnight on Monday. ... The sale booking period for flights ends 23:59 GMT 30 November 2015.
Ahem, you meant "midnight on Tuesday," no?
Citations: ISO standard 8601, Associated Press style guide, U.S. Government Printing Office.
Thus the standard accepts that midnight may be associated with either day. It does not express any preference for one or the other.
There is a later edition of ISO 8601, published in 2004, but I don't have it readily available. However it is unlikely (althoug possible) thatthe treatment of midnight differs.
Nov 27, 2015, 2:38 am
#13
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And before I learnt what Zulu time was.
Nov 27, 2015, 2:40 am
#14
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In all seriousness, ISTR that BA is an airline that likes to avoid having flights arrive or depart at 0000, whether that's 0000L or 0000Z.